Drunk on power<\/p>\n
Many of those who run the government in Indonesia are living
\nproof of Henry Kissinger's 1971 remark that \"Power is the great
\naphrodisiac\". Having lost the June 7 general election, the Golkar
\nParty and its presidential candidate President B.J. Habibie have
\nunabashedly tried all kinds of tricks in order to bolster their
\nchances of staying in power, or at the very least of clinging
\nonto power for as long as they can.<\/p>\n
First they tried to introduce legislation setting the criteria
\nfor future presidents, despite the fact that Golkar's electoral
\ndefeat put paid to its credibility to begin any initiatives in
\nthe House of Representatives. The bill was clearly designed to
\nblock the path to power of Megawati Soekarnoputri of the
\nIndonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), who is
\nthe clear front-runner and Habibie's chief rival in the November
\npresidential election. Then they set out to change procedures in
\nthe People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) to make Habibie
\naccountable to the present Golkar-controlled assembly rather than
\nits successor. With Golkar in the minority, the new MPR is more
\nlikely to reject Habibie's accountability report, and that would
\ndeal a serious blow to his chances of clinching the presidency,
\nassuming that he continued to harbor the ambitions.<\/p>\n
Golkar and Habibie, judging by an announcement by a senior
\nparty leader on Friday, are now maneuvering to delay the MPR
\nsession from its November date on the pretext that slow official
\nballot counting by the General Elections Commission is pushing
\nback the entire national political agenda. While we have become
\nall too familiar with their schemes, both have been acting with
\ngreater desperation lately as the moment of truth -- the time to
\nrelinquish power -- approaches. It is frightening to think what
\nother tricks lie up their sleeve for when they become really
\ndesperate.<\/p>\n
The attempt to delay the MPR meeting shows that Golkar and
\nHabibie will stop at nothing in their blind ambition to stay in
\ncontrol. They are even willing to sacrifice the interest of the
\nentire nation. Not only is the delay totally uncalled for, but it
\nwill also prolong the period of political uncertainty and
\ntherefore the suffering that the people have to endure.<\/p>\n
The last thing that Indonesia wants at this stage is a delay
\nin the formation of a new government. The absence of a credible
\nand legitimate government is at the root of the crisis that has
\nwreaked havoc in this country these last two years. Instead of a
\ndelay, the nation should be working toward moving forward the
\nentire election process, including the establishment of a new
\ngovernment bearing credibility and legitimacy and, more
\nimportantly, the people's consent.<\/p>\n
Positive economic indicators aside, real recovery will only
\noccur if and when investors' confidence returns, and that means
\nnothing less than an end to the lingering political uncertainty.
\nThe five-month wait between a general election and the MPR
\nsession is already too long.<\/p>\n
While Habibie and Golkar are still technically in charge, they
\nno longer have a monopoly in setting the national political
\nagenda, especially after last month's elections which clearly
\nshowed the paltry support they enjoy nationwide. As a matter of
\ncourtesy, any major decision from now on should be offered for
\nconsultation with other winning parties, particularly PDI
\nPerjuangan. These include setting the date for the MPR meeting,
\nand the deliberation of any new bills in the House of
\nRepresentatives.<\/p>\n
When the tyrannical Soeharto abruptly resigned from the
\npresidency in May last year, Habibie stepped in more by default
\nin his capacity as vice president than because he was necessarily
\nthe right person for the job. Golkar, Soeharto's political
\nmachine for 32 years, also lost its legitimate claim to govern
\nbut was allowed to remain at the helm on the condition that it
\norganize free and fair elections.<\/p>\n
Their constant maneuvers to keep power over the past year
\nsimply confirm that they have lost any legitimate claim to their
\npositions, which is damningly reflected in provisional results
\nfrom the June 7 general election. The attempt to delay the MPR
\nsession is a costly, wasteful and ultimately futile ploy to delay
\nthe inevitable: Habibie and Golkar will have to give up power
\nsoon, one way or another.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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